


Home Port

by sebayard



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Couples cruise, Fake Dating, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Lifeguard Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Minor Alfor/Coran (Voltron), Minor Honerva/Zarkon (Voltron), Minor Matt/N-7 (Voltron), Miscommunication, Modern AU, PINING KEITH, POV Keith (Voltron), pining shiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2019-11-07 08:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17956787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebayard/pseuds/sebayard
Summary: Seventy-one percent of the earth is water, and the ocean covers seventy percent of that. More than half of the planet. Much more than half.  That’s a lot.A lota lot. It’s also deep and unexplored and at this point Keith thinks they know more about deep space millions of light years away than they do about the deepest parts of the ocean.He’ll stick with the other solid and dry twenty-nine percent, thank you very much.Keith hates the ocean. Shiro won tickets to a cruise. One of these facts cancels out the other.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!! Here is Part 1 of my sheithlentines fic for [@zekwing](https://twitter.com/zekwing) on twitter!! This fic is just meant to be a lot of fun. I hope it brings a smile to your face!!

Keith doesn’t like the ocean.

There are multiple, logical reasons for this, and no, Lance, he’s not just bullshitting. All of Keith’s reasons are incredibly valid. And not just valid. Rational and Solid. Fact even.

(Well, maybe quite not fact, but in a particular mood Keith might’ve (read: has) definitely argued otherwise.)

For one, he grew up in the desert. Therefore it makes complete sense that he would prefer dry, desolate environments over wet ones. It’s just in his nature, ingrained in his very core. There’s something about the way dust blows over those empty spaces, how life thrives there despite everything thrown against it.

Kind of like him.

But even if Keith didn’t grow up in the desert, the ocean would still repulse him. For the Following Reasons:

  1. Sharks
  2. Fish
  3. Rip Tides
  4. Sharks
  5. How deep is this ocean exactly?
  6. Those minuscule jellyfish
  7. Sometimes you’re just minding your own business and then you look around and there’s no land in sight.
  8. Did he mention sharks?



Most people expect him to have “doesn’t know how to swim” in his list of arguments, but he does know how to swim. He loves swimming. Pools were a great way to cool down from the hot sun during his childhood, and he practically lived at the neighborhood swimming pool as a kid. His beef isn’t with swimming. Or lakes or rivers or ponds or puddles.

The ocean though…

Seventy-one percent of the earth is water, and the ocean covers seventy percent of that. More than half of the planet. Much more than half. That’s a lot. _A lot_ a lot. It’s also deep and unexplored and at this point Keith thinks they know more about deep space millions of light years away than they do about the deepest parts of the ocean.

He’ll stick with the other solid and dry twenty-nine percent, thank you very much.

But on the other hand…

Shiro works at the beach.

He’s a lifeguard. Full time. When you live in a warm, coastal state you don’t really get an off season. But Shiro loves his job. Keith sees how he puts his entire heart and soul into what he does. Constantly training, constantly alert.

It helps, probably, that unlike Keith, Shiro practically grew up on the water. He talks about his childhood fondly and often, looking wistful as he recounts the beauty of Japan’s shores.

Keith catches him, sometimes, just staring out at the water’s horizon line. His eyes always look so soft.

It’s the one time Keith doesn’t hate the ocean.

But in truth, being with Shiro makes anything bearable. There isn’t much Keith wouldn’t be willing to do for, with, him.

He loves him.

Keith doesn’t know when that happened. It must have been somewhere between doing relays in the pool and study sessions in the coffee shop during grad school. Or between movie nights squished on the couch with friends and stargazing at three in the morning. Either way it’s become his undeniable truth, as natural as breathing.

It also means that Keith likes to be around Shiro, to spend time with him and laugh and talk and see his smile. And, well, since Shiro is always at the beach…

“You’re going to get sunburn if you don’t put anything on. Here.” Shiro smirks as he wipes a small glob of cold sunscreen on Keith’s nose, making it scrunch up like there’s a bad smell.

Keith scowls, but rubs the lotion in anyway. The sun is at its peak, and there isn’t a cloud in sight. A perfect beach day, for most tourists, and they’ve certainly answered the call. It’s packed, umbrellas covering the sand like a scattered rainbow. Keith’s seen it from the air before; it’s incredible to look at. Such a small strip of land crowded with so many people. It’s almost overwhelming. Keith can only imagine what it must be like to be in charge of the well-being of all these people. Exhausting, surely.

He’s glad Shiro’s getting a break soon.

Shiro’s been planning his two month long vacation for over a year now. The flights were booked, vacation time accumulated, every penny budgeted, his grandparents were more than willing to house him during his stay. Keith’s knows it’s been a long time since Shiro got to visit his family in Japan, and he can’t even remember the last time he took a personal vacation. It’ll be good for him to get away.

Still though. Two months.

Keith will miss him.

He rubs the excess lotion on his pants before sitting down in his beach chair directly next to Shiro’s lifeguard stand. Keith likes this spot. There’s a feeling of safety knowing Shiro is right there. He looks up sometimes and is struck with the view of him, Poseidon on his throne. Sometimes the sun frames him like a halo.

It suits him.

On his own days off, Keith likes to keep Shiro company while he works. They don’t usually talk much, but he knows the gesture is appreciated. It’s… nice, to simply be in each other’s presence, exchanging glances and chuckles and eye rolls throughout the day. 

Shiro flicks some more sunscreen on Keith’s face before taking his place on the stand, keeping watch over the people diligently. And Keith sits. Sometimes napping. Sometimes reading.

Mostly just thinking.

The hours roll by quickly enough, and yet it always seems to go a little bit too fast. Pidge says he’s catastrophizing, but Keith can’t help but feel this will all end someday. Someday soon. That it will come to a head. He’ll mess up. Shiro could leave. Something could happen to him. Lifeguarding can be a dangerous job. The ocean is dangerous. One day Keith could just wake up and Shiro would just be go-

“Keith?”

“Huh?”

Shiro hovers over him, blocking the sun. “You okay? You were zoned out there for a bit. You’re not overheating are you?”

Keith shakes his head. “Sorry, no, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Keith’s mouth quirks up in a small smile. “I’m good.”

“Well,” Shiro fishes around in his bag before pulling out a water bottle and tossing it to him, “at least drink something. Don’t want you passing out while you drive us home.”

“That’s fair.” Keith untwists the cap and downs over half of it in one go. It feels cool, rejuvenating. He didn’t realize how parched he was.

Shiro gives him a once-over and clears his throat. “Better?”

“Actually yeah. Thanks.”

“Of course.” He reaches a hand down. “I was saying earlier that my shift’s over. You ready to head out?”

Keith takes the hand and hoists himself up from his chair. “If you are. My place or yours?”

“Yours. Hunk has some big Skype interview and I don’t want to distract him.”

“The one for that Food Network position?”

“Yep. If he gets this one he’s in.”

“And you’ll be without a roommate,” Keith points out as he tosses a helmet to Shiro.

Shiro’s lip twitches. “Yeah. You know any takers?” His eyes sparkle, and Keith is tempted to give in to what Shiro’s implying and scream yes, yes, me. I can be your roommate. I can be your anything.

He doesn’t though, because he doesn’t know if he’d be able to function living with Shiro in just a platonic capacity. He’d break.

“Sorry,” Keith nudges him, “all my roommates are completely satisfied with their living situation.”

“Even you?”

“Yeah.” Keith aches as he says it. “Even me." 

He thinks he catches a frown, but it’s probably just a trick of the light. “Well,” Shiro says, “if anything changes, you’ll let me know?”

Keith briefly wonders if they’re still talking about housing. “Yeah. Of course.”

They both slide their helmets on and slip easily into position on Keith’s motorcycle. They’ve been doing this for years now, falling into a steady routine, and Shiro’s arm around his waist has become a familiar feeling.

Still makes him catch his breath, though.

They drive for about ten minutes, weaving steadily through the afternoon traffic before finally pulling into Keith’s small driveway and heading into the apartment. The space isn’t the best out there, a bit cramped for the three people that live there, but to Keith, it’s home, and since he’s there so often, Keith likes to think that just maybe it’s a home for Shiro too.

Keith immediately grabs some snacks as Shiro takes his place on the couch, petting his dog, Kosmo, who sits at his feet, tongue hanging and tail wagging. It’s so… _domestic_ , in a way that used to feel so foreign. Keith didn’t grow up with routine or consistency, bounced around from place to place his entire life. But then suddenly there was Shiro, in all of his determination and grace and patience that for a while Keith didn’t know what to do with. It’d been like a shock to the system; _oh, so this is what it’s like for someone to believe in me._

Shiro was the first person who saw Keith and stayed, convinced _Keith_ to stay, where he needed to be anyway. And somehow, in the most beautiful twist of fate, he wasn’t the last. Keith’s reached a space now where he finally feels stable, and he has _all_ of his friends and family to thank for that.

But Shiro? He’ll always be the first. And that’s no small thing.

After dropping bags of popcorn and dog treats on Shiro’s lap, Keith takes a spot on the sofa and motions Kosmo up. He’s a big dog, so the three of them always end up squished and tangled on the couch, but, well,

Keith doesn’t mind.

After all these years it’s become their normal routine, lounging and pampering Kosmo with belly rubs and bacon treats and ear scratches while relaxing on the couch. Sometimes, when they’re both tired after a long day, Keith’s head will find its way onto Shiro’s shoulder, and he’ll feel Shiro’s fingers gently and mindlessly thread through his hair as they both doze off. It’s... nice. More than nice. Incredible.

But today, they just sit, which is just as incredible in Keith’s mind, tossing various types of junk food into each other’s mouths as they talk about nothing and everything. Shiro’s upcoming trip, Keith’s flight lesson gig, Pidge’s new experiment taking up residence in their living room.

Keith hadn’t been lying when he said he liked his living situation. Allura and Pidge are great roommates and friends, and the place itself is nice for what it’s worth. He’s content here.

But with Shiro?

With Shiro it feels like home.

There’s a brief lull in conversation, which isn’t unusual, but Keith has long since learned the art of interpreting Shiro’s unspoken words, and he knows there’s something going unsaid. He sensed it that morning too, with Shiro’s silent wave and taut smile. There’s got to be something on his mind he’s reluctant to share. But Keith has learned patience. If Shiro needs him to wait, he can wait.

However, by the way Shiro’s fidgeting, he doesn’t think he’ll have to wait much longer.

“…Keith?”

It’s time. He puts his phone down, gives Shiro his full attention. “Yeah?”

“I… I have a question.”

Keith blinks.

“For you.”

He blinks again, heart racing. “Okay.”

“So,” he gets up from the couch, “you know how I’m going to Japan soon, right?”

“Yeah." 

“And I’ll be gone for two months." 

Keith frowns. “I know.” 

“That’s a long time.”

“…It is.”

“I’ll miss you." 

He says it so bluntly, so matter-of-factly, Keith is thrown. “I’ll miss you too, Shiro.” 

“So we’ll miss each other.”

“That’s… generally how it works, yeah.” He glances around, tries to steady his heart rate. The reason for this conversation escapes him, but it feels big. Important. Like it could Change things. “You were going to ask me something?”

“Right! Right, sorry I- anyway, since I’d miss you, and you’d miss me, it makes sense we’d do something about that, so, Keith, I was wondering if you’d-“ Shiro hesitates, mouth open, “if you’d, uh…”

Shiro freezes. Keith waits.

Pidge, with a flair that Keith’s convinced is rehearsed, ruins the moment and walks through the door.

“Hey guys,” she says, not even looking up from her phone. “D’you ask him yet, Shiro?”

“Hi, Pidge.” He sighs. “I was about to.” 

“Oh?” She perks her head up and smirks, leaning against the wall. “Then by all means, don’t let me stop you.” 

Keith glances between the two of them, confused. Whatever it is that Shiro's doing, she seems to know about it already. Which is strange, since Pidge tells him everything and he still has no idea what's going on.

“Okay. Okay.” Shiro turns back to Keith. “I was wondering if you wanted… to… um…”

Keith holds his breath. For just a moment, time seems to freeze.

And then Shiro’s words come out in a rush. “I won these tickets to a cruise for next weekend and I know it’s last minute but I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go with me?”

_“What?”_

He rubs his neck and shrugs. “A cruise. The two of us. It could be fun, and it’s free, so it wouldn’t cost either of us anything.”

Both of them. On a cruise. On a boat. No, a full out _ship_.

Already his stomach squirms at the idea. A full weekend. In open ocean. No land in sight. Sharks everywhere.

With _Shiro._

God…

How can he say no?

Pidge looks surprised too, and she keeps glancing between the two of them. “A cruise? How the hell did you manage that?”

Shiro blushes. “There was this contest at work and I figured I’d go for it I guess.”

Pidge pinches the bridge of her nose and stares at Shiro. “Of course. But that’s not what you were going to-“

“So, Keith, what do you think?” He looks nervous. Keith can’t remember the last time he saw Shiro look nervous. “It’s only a couple nights. A small cruise. It’s a business that’s just started out so it shouldn’t be anything too fancy, but the brochure looks nice. We’d be comfortable.” He sits back on the couch. “I understand if it’s last minute though, or if you don’t want to go. I could always ask someone el-“

“I’d love to.” He gulps. “Should be fun. Us… On the ocean… cruising it up…”

Shiro smiles. Behind him, Pidge stares, silent and perplexed.

“Yeah, yeah, it’ll be great. I don’t have any appointments next weekend so work shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Perfect.” Shiro’s eyes shine. 

“Yeah…”

Perfect. 

 

* * *

 

It’s Friday.

Or as Keith likes to call it;

Cruise Day.

He spent more time packing and repacking the night before than he’d care to admit. What does a person even bring on a cruise? Would it be hot? Cold? It’s not like flying where there’s a temperature controlled cockpit. Ships have decks. And hulls. Ports. Sterns. A whole unfamiliar language that Keith knows nothing about. By choice, mind you. A whole way of life he’s done his best to avoid up until this point.

Turns out you can’t run forever though.

Along with the packing, last night Keith spent a lot of time thinking. About Shiro. About himself. About some facts he knows he’ll have to deal with eventually, such as:

Fact One: Keith is going on a cruise with Shiro.

Fact Two: Keith loves Shiro.

Fact Three: Shiro doesn’t know Keith hates the ocean.

He doesn’t really know what to do with these facts, just knows that they're important and he’ll have to make some decisions regarding them eventually. It’s just… difficult, to say the least. Especially the third one, because the very idea of telling Shiro that he hates something he loves makes Keith’s stomach ache. Not disclosing this information wasn't on purpose though. The need to talk about it honestly never came up. Shiro never once questioned why Keith didn’t go swimming in the ocean with him, or why he never bothered to even wear a swimsuit when visiting him at work. In spite of it all, Keith’s distaste and distrust of the sea was never brought up. Somehow, Keith has managed to avoid that conversation entirely. 

Who knows how much longer that will last.

Opting for more room for luggage, Shiro picks him up in his van. Keith’s grateful, because he swears he starts to feel preemptively seasick on the way. He doesn’t even know if he _gets_ seasick.\

No time like the present to find out.

The ship is about an hour away from town, but the Friday traffic means it takes about two to get there, leaving Keith plenty of time to think and prepare in the car. He considers just telling Shiro outright that the ocean terrifies him and that there’s a good chance he’ll spend a good chunk of this cruise in one of three place: his room, his bathroom, or directly at Shiro’s side. But the last thing Keith wants is Shiro to blame himself for bringing Keith somewhere he doesn’t enjoy.

It’s not like he doesn’t want this, though. He does, truly. Keith would love nothing more than to spend a weekend with Shiro, getting pampered, forgetting about his worries, not thinking about anything important for even just a small amount of time.

He _wants_ this. 

It’s just…

Difficult. 

Keith still hasn’t come up with a plan of action when they pull into the parking lot. Looks like he’ll just have to wing it from here.

“You ready?” Shiro smiles. 

It’s one Keith can’t help but return. It fills him with the confidence he needs. “Absolutely.”

Shiro’s smile widens even more, and Keith’s heart swells.

He can do this.

Keith exits the car and moves across the parking lot with newfound courage and determination. He will spend time with Shiro and have fun and and rest and make it a weekend to remember. What’s the worst that could happen anyway? It’s not like he’d fall overboard or get lost at sea. It’s a simple, short cruise. He’s seen the brochure; they’re barely leaving the coast to begin with.

Everything will be fine.

There’s a large building blocking the view of the dock where the ship supposedly lies in wait, and the sidewalk is littered with vandalized signs indicating that all passengers are to wait inside until boarding. They head inside, and met with a burst of cool air and murmuring voices. The waiting room is filled with several people waiting in line already, but definitely not as many as Keith anticipated. The thing about cruise ships is that they tend to be large, and large means a lot of people. Keith can certainly handle his own when it comes to crowds, but just because he can doesn’t mean he likes to. Shiro did mention that it’s a small cruise-line with it’s ships on the smaller end of the spectrum, so there’s that to take into consideration as well. Although to be frank, Keith doesn’t really know what qualifies as “small” in cruise lingo.

Honestly, there are a lot of unknowns. The brochure wasn’t as forthcoming with information as either Keith or Shiro would have liked, and Shiro’s boss wasn’t able to tell him much other than that it was a cruise and it was free and that his boss was best friends with the line’s owner and “of course it’s safe and reputable Shiro I’ve seen the boat with my own two eyes. Now do you want the tickets or not.”

Neither of them really know what to expect, but they’ve also never shied away from an adventure either, and they certainly weren’t going to start now. Shiro nudges his shoulder while they wait in line. “Hey, how’re you feeling? You looked a little sick in the car”

“Oh, uh, I’m good." 

“You sure?”

Keith looks Shiro in the eyes, draws strength from it. “Yeah,” he smiles and nudges him back, “I’m sure.”

“Ah, are you two here for the _Uniloo_ cruise as well?” A man with slicked back red-orange hair accompanied arm-in-arm by another man step into the queue behind them.

Shiro nods. “We are.”

“Wonderful. I’m glad we’re in the right place. We got turned around a few times on our way here.”

The man beside him laughs, light and sweet. “ _We?_ Coran, you looked at the map in the completely wrong direction. That was all you, love." 

Coran blushes and scratches his neck. “Yes, well, there’s that. But we are here now! So, no harm done. And they haven’t started boarding yet, have they?”

A droning voice from the overhead speaker booms. _“Attention all Uniloo passengers, boarding will begin in five minutes. I repeat; boarding for the Uniloo Couples Cruise will begin in five minutes.”_

Wait.

“Oh! Well that answers that question then. You ready, Alfor?” 

The man with Coran, Alfor, smiles and gives Coran a quick peck on the cheek. “I can’t wait.”

Coran beams and turns back to Keith and Shiro. “It’s our first couples cruise.” He chuckles. “Can you tell? How about yourselves?” 

“Oh, this is… we’re not… um.” Keith’s face is burning. Oh god…

Shiro, for his part, doesn’t look much better than Keith feels. He’s wide eyed and panicked, face blooming to a rose-red. His voice cracks when he speaks. “This is a couples cruise?”

“Yes of course. A couples- _exclusive_ cruise.” Alfor squints. “You didn’t know? That’s a rather large detail to miss, isn’t it?”

To put it simply, Keith feels like he got hit by a bus.

“Couples-exclusive?”

“Yes, it’s a couples-only event. It’s the only way you could get ahold of tickets. Take a look at your own. It should be right there." 

Keith pulls out the small slip of paper and examines it closely.

“Oh my god.”

Sure enough, at the very bottom it says “Couples Only” with three large, bolded exclamation points at the end.

“Shiro…”

“Keith, I-”

_“Boarding for the Uniloo Couples Cruise has begun. I repeat, boarding for the Uniloo Couples Cruise has begun at this time.”_

Shiro purses his, glances at Keith, and then back at the line beginning to move. He sighs, and Keith wants nothing more than to wipe that defeated look away. “I’m so sorry Keith, I didn’t mean to put you in this position. I had no idea and we can leave if you w-”

“Shiro,” Keith grabs his hand, squeezes, and pulls him out of the line so they can talk, “it’s okay. I promise. I don’t mind.” He takes a shaky breath, remembers Shiro’s smile, holds onto that strength. He looks up at Shiro’s eyes, determined. “Let’s do it.”

Shiro gulps as his eyes search Keith’s face. “What?" 

“There’s no sense in turning back now. You won the tickets. They’re yours. And,” Keith shrugs, “I know how much you were looking forward to this. I don’t want that taken from you over something so stupid. So, what do you say?”

Even as he says it, it feels like some far off dream.

“Want to be my boyfriend for the weekend?” 


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There comes a time in fic writing where you just have to release it into the wild. As you may have noticed, the number of sections bumped up to 3, so we're not at the conclusion yet, but I hope you enjoy this next section nonetheless! It's unbeta'd, and quite frankly I've looked at this chapter for so long I can no longer tell if it's hysterical or stupid. 
> 
> Probably both? 
> 
> Anyway have fun!!

Keith wonders if the universe is playing some sort of cruel, sick joke on him. Or does it think it’s doing him a favor, giving him just a taste of what could be? Either way, Keith’s heart feels like it’s going to fall out of his chest any second and it’s all the Universe’s fault. 

Shiro agreed to the plan.  

He thought it’d take more convincing, or that Shiro would deny him outright. It was a half-baked idea to begin with; Keith’s surprised the words even came out of his mouth. But they did, and now they’re walking up the ramp, arm in arm, closer and closer to his doom, and all Keith can do is try his best not to vomit into the breaking ocean waves below.

The ship isn’t large, and just like the rest of his life, Keith can’t decide if that’s a blessing or a curse. It really does bear more resemblance to a yacht than a ship, and Keith mutters as much as they slowly make their way up the boarding ramp.

Coran, still behind them, overhears Keith’s comment and laughs at his apparent ignorance. “If this were a yacht, the structure would be entirely different. Ha! Did you hear him Alfor? A yacht!”

Alfor shakes his head, and Keith wonders how a stranger he just met could already look so disappointed in him. 

“Don’t worry,” Shiro whispers in his ear, making it tingle, “it definitely looks like a yacht.”

Keith grunts. 

Yacht or not, it’s a boat that floats on the ocean, which means Keith is not comfortable in the slightest. The ramp below suddenly feels unsteady, and he squeezes Shiro’s arm so he doesn’t fall over.

“For the part,” Keith finds himself saying after Shiro gives him a look. “Gotta be convincing, right?” He chuckles, although he knows it sounds half-hearted.

Shiro looks flushed as he glances away. “Right. Yeah.”

If Shiro notices just how unnecessarily tight Keith’s grip is, he doesn’t say anything, but he does place a calming hand over his own, rubs it gently.

“For the part,” Shiro whispers. Keith gulps.

Right. For the part. All for the part. That’s all this is.

For the damn part.

They continue to follow the small crowd up the ramp until they reach the boat’s threshold, where a man in an oversized sailor’s coat greets each of them each with a handshake and a nod. The name tag stuck on his lapel states “Hello, my name is: Captain Bob,” although it looks to have been scratched out a few times before landing on its true recipient. 

“Hello hello,” the man says as he bows, low and dramatic and filled with a rehearsed bravado Keith’s only seen in bad middle school productions. “Welcome aboard the _Uniloo!_ ” He rises back up and sticks out a hand for Shiro to shake. “I’ll be your trusty captain this weekend. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she stays afloat long enough for you to have a good time. May this cruise allow your love to bloom as you embark on this journey of love together. And might I say,” he smiles and winks, grabbing Keith’s hand to shake, “it will be a journey indeed.”

Keith doesn’t know how to respond to that. “Uh.”

“We’re excited to be here,” Shiro steps in, placing a comforting hand on Keith’s shoulder. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Captain.”

“Please,” the man chuckles, “Captain is my father. You,” he winks again, and Keith wonders if it’s really an eye twitch, “can call me Captain Bob.”  

“Okay, um, it was a pleasure to meet you, Captain... Bob.” 

“Please,” he says again with a wide grin and yet a third wink. Nope, definitely intentional. “The pleasure was all mine.”

Keith’s no expert on cruises or what the job of a boat captain is, but if that interaction was meant to make him feel safe and convince him this ship won’t literally run into the ground, it didn’t work.

“Shiro,” he whispers before passing the ship’s threshold, “are you sure this is safe?”

Shiro looks him in the eyes, gives his hands a soft squeeze. “I know this boat is a bit small, and the captain’s… eccentric. But we’ll be fine, I promise. Besides,” he smirks, “you’ve got a lifeguard boyfriend to save you if you fall overboard.”

Keith kicks him lightly. “That’s not funny.”

 He chuckles and nudges him back. “Come on, it was a little funny.” Shiro looks at Keith, and something Keith can’t quite make out flashes across his face before he clears his throat and looks away. “In all seriousness though, we don’t have to stay if you’re uncomfortable. The boat doesn’t leave the dock for another hour; we have time to look around, have a snack, and still be home in time for dinner.”

It’s a tempting offer, one easy to take. To just give up and leave while he’s ahead and before everything explodes in his face. 

But Keith has a _thing_ about quitting. 

He doesn’t. 

 So he looks at Shiro, guides his eyes back to him. “Be honest. How are you feeling about this whole thing? And don’t just say something to make me happy. I know you do that.”

“I…” Shiro sighs, and Keith catches his gaze turn to the distant ocean. He doesn’t say anything else, but his eyes always talk. 

Keith’s been listening to what Shiro doesn’t say since the day they met. Today is no different. One look in his eyes, and Keith knows the answer.

“Okay. We stick with the plan. We stay.”

The way Shiro’s face lights up makes Keith blush. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Keith smiles. “It’ll be…” Horrible? Disastrous? End with one of them on a life-boat in the middle of nowhere? “Fun.” He says it with conviction this time, because truthfully, any time spent with Shiro ends up being enjoyable. This will be no different. “And it’s probably the longest I’ll be able to hang out with just you for the next few months. That’s one of the reasons we’re here, right?” 

Shiro pauses for a moment, and then nods. “Right.” He looks down at his feet, then back up at Keith’s face. “Thank you,” he whispers.

Keith’s heart explodes, and all he can do is nod in return. 

The moment, if Keith can call it that, is interrupted by a voice on some hidden loudspeaker. “Attention couples: please gather in the lower dining hall for orientation.”

Shiro’s eyes glisten. “You ready?”

Keith sighs, smiling. “Guess so.” 

He grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers. Shiro’s soft, warm, steady. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

The orientation goes by without much fanfare. It’s just a review of emergency protocols and a general overview of the cruise’s schedule: what time they depart, what fancy dinners are when, the optional couple events available, what time they arrive back to shore. It’s after orientation when they finally receive their room keys and are told to settle in before reporting back to the dining hall for some “passenger icebreakers.”

Keith takes their key from a man in a blue uniform—His name tag says “Lotor” in fancy cursive—who points them to the left. His voice is monotone as he says, “All rooms are down that way. If you need further assistance a crew member will help you locate your room. Enjoy your stay aboard the _Uniloo.”_

Someone in the distance— a girl with long blonde hair and mischievous smile— shouts with gusto, _“_ _Say the motto, Lotor.”_

He sighs, long and defeated, and Keith is filled with a small sense of empathy. “Fine. May our rooms allow your love to bloom as you embark on this journey of love together.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a few pieces of confetti and throws them in the air. “Congratulations on this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Keith tries to smile, but really it's a grimace. “Thanks.”

Shiro whispers in his ear as they walk away. “They’re really enthusiastic here, aren’t they.” 

He snorts, and Keith feels the breath of Shiro's own laughter on his neck. Something warm and gentle and and calm and _good_ settles into Keith’s heart and mind.

Almost easy to forget they’re on a boat in the ocean surrounded by unknown horrors on all sides.

(They pass a large tank on their way out of the dining hall, and Keith swears one of the fish glares at him.)

_Almost._  

He glances away from the tank and down to the key in his hand, where it says “B-01” in scrunched blue letters; the lowest level of the ship and at the very end of the hall. 

“Does B stand for basement?” Keith says as he drags his bag behind him.

“Boats don’t have basements, Keith.”

“Right, I knew that.”

The hallway seems a bit dirty for a ship that’s supposed to be new. It might just be the choice of carpeting— a mauve covered with paisley that clashes with the light green polka dot wallpaper—that’s creating the unflattering view. Keith hopes the actual room provides a more relaxing atmosphere, considering he might be stuck in there quite a bit if his consistently queasy stomach is any indicator. The hall is filled with natural lighting; port windows lining the left side. They’re just above sea level, and if the windows were open they could have easily run their fingers through the ocean water below. 

Keith looks out the window while Shiro fiddles with the key. Even though the ship is still docked, it bobs lightly. Up and down, up and down. Keith’s stomach churns, but it doesn’t get worse. It’s more nerves than anything. Maybe he’s not prone to seasickness after all?

“Home sweet home,” Shiro says brightly as he swings the door open.

Like the hallway, it’s brightly lit by three windows that line the wall. The carpet is still mauve, but the walls are a more soothing grey that makes the space feel an appropriate level of cozy. There’s a table with roses in a vase, heart-shaped balloons tied to a chair, and decadent chocolates resting on the pillows of the large king bed that holds command of the center of the room.

A couples cruise.

Two people.

One bed.

_Ah._

This conundrum really should have been obvious from the start, but in truth it didn't occur to him until now, with it staring him in the face. 

Keith really should have thought this one through. 

Shiro, for his part, doesn’t seem to be fazed in the slightest. Either that or he does a great job of hiding it. He sets his overnight bag down on one of the chairs and looks around. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Keith gulps as he steps inside. “Wow.” He tries to take in the rest of the room, but he can't tear his eyes away, like the King Bed is staring him down through silk pillow cushions, challenging him to move.

Everyone knows The Bed is the star of any hotel room or place of stay. From the number of pillows down to the texture of the duvet cover, everyone’s got an opinion on The Bed. It’s impossible to avoid. At least Keith, like most people, assumed so. He knows he certainly can't. But then this is Shiro. Who even knows what he’s capable of? 

Shiro eats The Impossible for breakfast.  

The man, somehow, manages to avoid The Bed like the plague, zipping around the room without so much as making eye contact with it, saying things like “the faucet’s water pressure is perfect” and “they really outdid themselves with the decorations.”

Meanwhile Keith still feels like the Bed is issuing him a personal challenge; _address me, peasant. I am the King of this room and you are merely a worm._

But Shiro ignores the King's call, inspecting the sturdiness of the side table rather than address the issue at hand. This level of diversion takes _finesse_ , and it takes Keith all of ten seconds to realize Shiro’s doing this _on purpose, damn him_.

But it’s Shiro, so Keith humors him, listens to him ramble and pointedly avoid the elephant in the room until it’s been at least five minutes without so much as a blink in The Bed’s direction. When Shiro takes his third look in the bathroom to “check out how the shower works,” Keith realizes with dawning horror that he’s going to have to be the one to bring it up or else they’re going to be stuck in this endless loop forever.

“Shiro.”

He peeks his head around the corner. “Hm?” 

Keith clears his throat. “There’s only one bed.” 

“Oh? I hadn’t noticed.”

Shiro is, of course, bullshitting, but Keith will let this one slide. He shrugs. “We’ll just uh..." He glances at the Bed. The Bed glares back. Keith's voice cracks as he says, "We'll have to share.” 

Shiro says nothing. They both blink.

The Bed stares.

“Shiro.”

“Sorry. Right. Yes, share. Perfect.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, yeah of course.”

And it really should be fine, honestly. They’ve shared beds and even couches before. It’s just that none of those instances were on a couples cruise featuring a bed adorned with rose petals and chocolates and tension heavy enough to thicken a milkshake.

It’ll be fine though. There’s still a good chunk of daylight left. The inevitable Bed panic seems like a problem for Future Keith to deal with. 

Problem solved.

The awkwardness of the conversation drops to a familiar and comfortable silence as the two of them acquaint themselves with the environment and settle in for the weekend. The space isn’t large, but decent enough that it doesn’t feel claustrophobic, which Keith appreciates. Overall the space is airy and bright and Keith’s comfortability with the whole situation bumps up from a two to a four. Still room for improvement, but definitely a good start.

“You like it?”

Keith steps back from looking out the window. “Yeah,” he smiles, “it’s nice.” He means it. 

Shiro moves to stand next to him. “Did I ever tell you I lived in a houseboat for a whole summer once?”

He has, but Keith never tires of hearing Shiro talk about the things he loves. “With your grandpa.”

He nods. “When I was ten. Nowhere near the size of this thing, but it, you know, reminds me a lot of it. Had my own room and porthole to look out of. Most people get sick from watching the water bob up and down but not me. I couldn’t stop." 

Keith can see that far off look in his eyes. “You miss it.”

“Yeah, but that’s why I’m finally going back this year.” He smiles softly, looks down at his feet. “Keith, I’ve been meaning to ask-”

Shiro’s interrupted by the loudspeaker, and Keith recognizes Lotor’s voice despite the rough crackling. “Attention all _Uniloo_ passengers, ice breakers will be starting in the main dining hall. I repeat; ice breakers will be starting in the main dining hall.”

“I guess that’s our queue.”

Keith frowns. “Were you going to ask me something?”

Shiro hesitates before waving his hand in dismissal. “It can wait. You ready to head over?” 

“Depends. You think they got food at this thing?”

“They better.”

“Then yes.” 

They both head out the door and are almost at the end of the hall when Shiro stops short, Keith running into him and almost falling to the ground.

Keith rubs his nose and nudges Shiro’s arm. “What is it?”

“We need a backstory.”

“For what?”

“Our relationship,” Shiro says. “Our pretend one,” he amends quickly.

That would be a rather important detail. Keith can’t believe he overlooked it. “Well, I guess it could be something simple… I don’t want to get caught in messing up details.” That, and he didn’t want to imagine a non-existent romantic history with Shiro so intensely he gets reality all warped and confused. He does enough daydreaming on his own time.

“Okay, so what if we just… I don’t know, don’t change anything then?” 

Keith squints. “What?”

“We don’t make anything up. I mean we do, because we’re not actually dating or romantically involved or anything. We’re just friends, is what I’m saying. So there is some level of deception in it, but it’s also not really lying…”

“Shiro.”

“Sorry. I mean what if we just keep our origin story the same. We met while you were in undergrad and hit it off and now here we are. On a couples cruise. Simple.”

That could work. There are still some baseline topics for discussion that are bound to come up on a couples cruise, though. Or at least Keith imagines they would, especially when they’re literally headed to an ice breaker event meant for couples. “Okay, yeah, nothing extraordinary or confusing. We should get some basic facts down though. Like, who confessed first?”

“Neither. We just fell into it.”

“Are we living together?”

“No, although the invitation has always been open.”

“Have we met each other’s parents yet?”

“I’ve met yours, you haven’t met mine, although we’re working on it.”

Keith doesn’t know how to feel about how fast Shiro is coming up with answers to all the questions he’s throwing. “When’s our anniversary?”

“June 30th.”

“Wait, isn’t that two days from now?”

Shiro winks. “Hence the cruise.”

“Okay, know-it-all, when was our first kiss?" 

His gaze moves to Keith’s lips for just a split second, and Keith’s face warms. It takes Shiro a beat longer to answer, and his voice isn’t filled with the confidence it had before. “When do you think?”

Keith allows himself to think for a moment, but he doesn’t really need to. He already has the answer. “Remember that time we all took a road trip to Nevada, but Lance got car sick so we had to pull over while he was puking for like, three hours?” 

“Yeah, not the most romantic story, Keith.”

“Hold on. It was past midnight, not a town in sight, and it was so dark you could see the Milky Way from the top of the van, right? So we pulled out a blanket and stared up at the sky, and we just talked for hours and hours. At some point Lance was feeling better but by then we were all  too tired to drive. So everyone else fell asleep but we just stayed up on that roof. We were there all night, and we didn’t even realize it until the sun rose. And then you looked at me, and you said it was the most beautiful sunrise you’d ever seen. Which is significant because you’ve seen a lot of them, because, you know, you’re always up by four AM.” Keith coughs. “Anyway so that’s when I kissed you.”

“O..oh.” Shiro shuffles his feet. “Well when you describe it that way…”

Keith shrugs, gives a small smile. “Well, you said it’s best if we use reality, so…”

“Yeah,” Shiro whispers. “I vote you tell the story if it ever comes up.”

“Why? You were there too.”

“Yeah, but you make it sound…” Shiro stops, searches for the right word. “Special.”

“Oh.” Well that would be because it _is_ special. And it’s also how Keith wishes the night would have ended, how it should have ended. He remembers it so clearly, his muscles tensing as he worked up the courage to say something, do something, _anything_ , but then Lance banged his head when he woke up, shook the van, and made Keith fall off and almost break his arm. It’s safe to say the moment was ruined at that point. 

The overhead speakers crackle as a voice drones across the ship. _“Last call for couples ice breakers. Last call for couples ice breakers.”_

Shit. 

“Aren’t all these activities optional?”

Shiro shrugs. “I mean, technically? I think this is where we get dinner though.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, I know. But,” Shiro places his hand on Keith’s shoulder, “we’ve got this. Let’s just hope we don’t have to play the newlywed game.”

Keith smiles. “Honestly? I think we’d do alright. But let’s keep things vague, yeah?” He bites his lip before tentatively reaching out a hand. “Ready?” 

Shiro takes it, squeezes it tight. “Absolutely.”

They walk down the hallway hand in hand, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world, like they really have been dating for years. Keith knows it isn’t real, but that’s the thing about being with Shiro; once you’re in his orbit you forget about everything else. Being with him makes you feel ten feet tall, like you can do anything simply because he said you could. 

Walking down that hallway with Shiro? It’s like being on top of the world. And naturally, as one does when they’re feeling this high, Keith makes a decision.

He’s going to tell him.

Keith doesn’t know when, and he doesn’t know how, but he will not let Shiro leave for Japan; no, he won’t let Shiro leave this _cruise_ , without him knowing just how much Keith loves him.  

He’s gonna make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! As usual, comments, kudos, and bookmarks make my heart and my face smile. Much love!

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/seblamblam) if you'd like!


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